![]() |
Painting an engine. What not to do?
Seems like a stupid question, but I do a lot of stupid stuff. :) getting ready to paint the engine and tid bits. The block had been dipped and primered at the machine shop. Tid bits like the pulleys, water pump, etc have yet to be media blasted. My main question is can you use a normal urethane to paint the block or will it bake off? Looking to go with the ever popular Merc blue which I believe can be found in quarts these days. I know dupli color has a Dodge color that’s pretty darn close. Is it fine to paint aluminum cylinder heads? I just don’t see it often. Thanks! |
I primed my heads and intake with zinc chromate and then painted to match the rest of the engine. I used header paint on the exhaust ports because the paint cooked off there on my last engine. Of course my engine is all black and it will be kind of hard for you to find a blue header paint. I’m not sure how it will all work out over time yet but the zinc primer is great. |
Originally Posted by Baja Rooster
(Post 4634944)
Seems like a stupid question, but I do a lot of stupid stuff. :) getting ready to paint the engine and tid bits. The block had been dipped and primered at the machine shop. Tid bits like the pulleys, water pump, etc have yet to be media blasted. My main question is can you use a normal urethane to paint the block or will it bake off? Looking to go with the ever popular Merc blue which I believe can be found in quarts these days. I know dupli color has a Dodge color that’s pretty darn close. Is it fine to paint aluminum cylinder heads? I just don’t see it often. Thanks! |
Thanks, guys! These were the exact answers that I was looking for. :thumbup |
I did mine garage. Used an actual spray gun from harbor freight luckily engines hide imperfections. Lol. Used an epoxy primer and painted with an HOK color I really liked then used an imron clear. |
That DP that Glass Dave is talking about is the sh!t. We use it on our hot rods. |
Originally Posted by glassdave
(Post 4634962)
i use either SEM's etching primer (in an aerosol) or PPG's DP epoxy primer as a base layer and use single stage Concept all the time for engines/parts. My preference for Merc blue is Chryslers PB3 (ppg code 5357). Its a great match to the merc color but with more pearl.
I played with the old 81 b8110a with decent results but had to mix in more silver. Gonna have to try the Chrysler sometime. Glad you mentioned that. |
Most paint is hazardous, but that zinc chromate is supposed to be super bad for human contact. If you use it be sure to cover up and use a real respirator.
|
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...8162ad082.jpeg
Originally Posted by glassdave
(Post 4634962)
i use either SEM's etching primer (in an aerosol) or PPG's DP epoxy primer as a base layer and use single stage Concept all the time for engines/parts. My preference for Merc blue is Chryslers PB3 (ppg code 5357). Its a great match to the merc color but with more pearl.
|
I should add that painting air gaps suck, lol. I had to grab a paint brush to smoosh the paint in some areas and try to fog over it to smooth it out. |
| All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:40 AM. |
Copyright © 2026 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.